FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) (TSE:FSV) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $186.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on FSV shares. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of FirstService in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. TheStreet cut shares of FirstService from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $187.00 target price on shares of FirstService in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut FirstService from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on FirstService from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th.

FirstService Stock Performance

Shares of FSV stock opened at $149.80 on Friday. FirstService has a 52-week low of $134.77 and a 52-week high of $171.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a PE ratio of 74.16 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.34.

FirstService (NASDAQ:FSV) (TSE:FSV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.01). FirstService had a net margin of 2.02% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that FirstService will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

FirstService Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were given a $0.25 dividend. This is a positive change from FirstService’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. FirstService’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstService

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in FirstService during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of FirstService in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in FirstService during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in FirstService by 126.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in FirstService by 25.9% during the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 365 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 69.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About FirstService

FirstService Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides residential property management and other essential property services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: FirstService Residential and FirstService Brands. The FirstService Residential segment offers services for private residential communities, such as condominiums, co-operatives, homeowner associations, master-planned communities, active adult and lifestyle communities, and various other residential developments.